Reviewed by Trevor Kirk

One question I keep asking myself: how come the people who put together this sort of album can’t spell? “World Praize”? My spellchecker can’t cope! I suppose Carman started it with “Yo Kidz”, but I digress. This 15-track compilation is designed (to quote the sleevenotes) “to follow God’s plan, and document, through music, the Gospel from a geographical and cultural interpretation, featuring Christian singers from around the world, black or white, their cultures and respective genres.” It’s a very eclectic mix of music from all parts of the Caribbean; Jamaica is represented by five tracks, Belize by three, along with stuff from Dominica, Haiti, St Vincent, Trinidad, St Lucia, the US Virgin Islands and an interloper from Florida. Whilst this is predominantly reggae (only to be expected, given the size of the Jamaican input), it’s not exclusively so; the track from Florida, “Hey! Christian Party!” is reminiscent of early dc Talk-style hip-hop; “Armed” from Haitian band Shepherds, has more than a dash of Latino, and Shine The Light, from the US Virgin Islands, give us an interesting and enjoyable nine-and-a-half minute fusion of Latin and female black gospel.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.

This track data is supplied by the Cross Rhythms CD/DVD review library. Please note that CD tracks may vary according to release region or product version.